Altered Playing Cards for Motivational Deck Swap

In all the chaos that's been my life for the past few months, I've really missed y'all. It's time for a little update and eye candy. So. . .Sometime tomorrow we should be getting the keys to our new house! For now, I need to finish packing, picking out paint colors, and freaking out. I am really hoping to share the whole process with you, but the piles-of-boxes phase that we are in now is really not that interesting, so I'll spare you those details.

In the meantime, let me go ahead and show off something I have created. I mentioned a few months ago that I'm participating in a motivational deck swap. We're swapping six altered playing cards at a time to build up a whole deck. I thought I'd show you some of the ones I've created as I'm kinda proud of them and they are a ton of fun to create.

One set of the cards I sent to my partner.

Here's a closer look at these cards. Clicking on them should make them bigger.

And here's another set that I sent out.

And again, a better look at the cards.

I have another couple sets that I've mailed out, but one of them I forgot to take pictures. The other one, I recorded the process so I'm hoping to have a video for you soon.

Right now, I'm just delaying the packing up the rest of the little bits and pieces around the house. I guess it's time to focus and get down to business. I can't wait to share this with y'all!! Stay tuned for all the excitement! Remember to follow me as CraftyHope on Instagram and Twitter for little peeks and quick updates at what's going on.

Comments

Judy, Thank you!! Yes, I sand and gesso them before I paint/collage/etc. We should be getting the keys to the castle sometime today. I just hope it's while the light is still good so I can get some pictures/video. I can't wait for this next adventure!

Lorraine, Yes. . .sometime today. Unfortunately, we don't know WHEN today. So we are restless and anxious and ready to get them!! I'm so pleased you like my cards. You come from such a creative family, it means a lot that you like them.

Hope, those are so beautiful! I bet they are fun to make.......well, not for me, I do not have that talent, but my daughter would love something like this. She is very creative with paper/scrapbookng, etc. I bet you would be great with Soul Collage cards. Ever heard of them?

Lee, Yes, they are a blast to make. And, they take just a few minutes - depending on what technique/materials you want to use. I hadn't heard of the soul collage stuff before, but just looked it up. I'm not sure I get it yet, but will have to do some more research. Thanks for the heads up about it. Oh, and thank you for the kind words about my cards. :)

Beautiful! I've always thought something like this would be fun to make, but have never sat down to actually try. Yours are so lovely it really makes me want to pull out the paints and supplies and give it a go. Do you decorate both sides of each card, or just the back, or just the front?

Karen,Oh. I'm really enjoying making these small 'canvases'. The requirements for the swap say we can decorate one or both sides. Since I'm still new to the medium and you can really only enjoy one side at a time, I've stuck to just decorating one side. I tend to decorate the backside (the side without the number and suit) so that it still looks like a playing card on the other. I actually did a video of the process of my latest set but since it was so long and I've been so busy, I haven't had the time to edit it yet. It's in the works though! :) Thanks for your kind words,

Bobbie, Thank you! We've had the keys for almost two weeks now and spent the first one just painting and doing repairs. The furniture came last week and I've been trying to get the rest of the house unpacked before I start in earnest on the craft room. Though I'm itching to create, I know I need to focus on what needs to be done first. Hopefully the creativity will indeed just flow when the time comes! :) Thank you so much for your best wishes!

Jenna, Oh, thank you so much! I can't wait to get my craft room set up and start playing with more pieces like these and more jewelry. It really is killing me to have all of it packed away right now. Thank you for your encouragement. I appreciate it.

These are beautiful and some of the messages are really special! I've missed this post somehow and have already seen the picture by the pool, so it's good to know the concerns you're talking about are behind your back now :)